Hydraulic transit apparatus



(No Model.)

J. E. ROBINSON.

HYDRAULIC TRANSIT APPARATUS.

Patented Nov. 27, 1888.

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Nrrnn STATES PATENT OFFICEC JOHN E. ROBINSON, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

HYDRAULIC TRANSIT APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 393,586, dated November 27,1888.

Application filed March 16, 1888. Serial No. 267,343. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern/.-

Be it known that I, JOHN E. ROBINSON, of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented cer tain new and useful Improvements in Means for Transporting Mail-Matter, Milk, Berries, or other Bodies, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accoinpanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

My present invention consists more particu larly in the construction and arrangement of pipes or conduits, and in the arrangement of gates or valves within said pipes or conduits and means for operating the gates or valves, as will be fully set forthin the following specification and claims.

I have illustrated a system of pipes or conduits more especially adapted for the trans portation of mailmatter from the post-oiiice to railroad depots and also from the depots to the post-office, the mail-matter being contained in water-tight carriers, the packages thus formed being made of about the same specific gravity as that of the water.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of the pipes or conduits. Fig. 2 is a horizontal i sectional view of a portion of my invention,

showing the arrangement of the gates or valves within the pipes. Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are detached details.

Similar letters and numbers indicate similar parts in the respective figures.

A is the main pipe or conduit leading from the post-office to the depot. At the two ends this pipe connects with branches B, B, B and B and at the post-oliice end it connects with a suitable tank, (not shown,) which may be located in the upper part of the building at a height suflicient to give the requisite momentum to the water to carry the packages along the conduit. At the depot end it connects, by means of the pipe a, with a return'pipe, A, which, like the pipe A, connects at the two ends with branches C, U, C, and G and at the post-office end leads to a tank, (not shown,) which may be located in the cellar and into which the water flows, whence it may be pumped to the upper tank to be used again.

The branches are provided, respectively, with short lengths of pipe I) b b b c c 0 0 which project a short distance, as shown, and serve as the apertures through which the packages are entered in or taken from the respective branches. The outer ends of these short pipes are immersed in water contained in suitable tanks, G, in which the packages can float.

At the points ofjunction of the main pipes, the branches, and the short projecting pipes are provided gates or valves, as shown, and which are numbered from 1 to 16. lhe gates or valves are secured to rods 01, the upper ends of which project through the pipes, and their lower ends can be stepped in the pipe itself or in lugs secured to or cast with the pipes, the rods being located at the apex or point formed by the junction of two pipes. Each of the rods (1, except those on gates 4 and 12, is provided at its upper end, outside of the pipes, with a crank-arm, d. The crank-arms of the valves 1, 2, and 3; 6, 7, and 8; 9, 10, and 11, and 14, 15, and 16 are connected by means of bars d, and each series of three gates is also connected to and operated byasuitable lever, D. The crank-arm of the gate 5 is connected by means of a rod, 0, with a supplemental crank-arm, e, on either of the rods of the gates 6, 7, or 8, so as to be operated simultaneously with them, and the crank-arm of the gate 13 is similarly connected to the rod of either of the gates 14, 15, or 16 for the same purpose. The gates 4 and 12 are allowed to swing freely, so as to adapt themselves to the position necessary to close one branch when the water is flowing through the other. To the gates 6,8, 14, and 16 the bars 9 are hinged in such a manner as to permit of their folding in one direction only. When the gates are in one position, the bars will lie up against the side of the pipe; but when the gates are turned across the pipe to change the course of the current the resistance offered by the water to the bar 9 will cause it to turn on its hinge and swing across the pipe, the force of the current serving to hold it in this position until the gate is moved back again, for the purpose hereinafter specified.

Attached to the main pipe A at a point just before it leads into the branches B B are a signal-bell, E, and register F, which are both operated by means of a springcatch, f, which projects through a suitable opening, f, into the pipe A, and against which each package comes in contact, causing the bell to sound,and at the same time operating the register. Snitable packing surrounds the stem of the catch fin the opening f to prevent the escape oftorcover the projecting pipes Z) Z), 850. The

upper tank is also kept filled by means of a pump, which returns the water from the tank in the cellar. A valve controls communication between the upper tank and the main pipe or conduit A. Supposing the valves to.

be in the position shown in Fig. 2, the packages are passedthrough the short pipe b into the branch B. WVhen all the packages arein, by operating the lever D the gates l, 2, and 3 can be shifted and communication opened between the pipeAand the branch B,communication at the same time being closed between the pipe A and the branch B. Communication 'will also be closed between the branch B and short pipe I) and opened between the short pipe I) and the branch B. By admitting water from the upper tank to the pipe A the waterin the pipes and branches will be put in motion and 7 carry the packages along the pipe A the gate 4swinging freely with the current. As the packages pass the spring-catchfthe bell will sound and the register count the packages as they pass'on into either of the branches'B or 13*, according as the gate 5 is set at the time. Supposing it is in the position shown in Fig. 2, the packages will pass into the branch B and the gates 6, 7, and 8 being also in the position shown in Fig. 2, the bar 9, hinged to the gate 6, will lie across the branch B and prevent the packages passing into the pipe mat the same time allowing the water to flow freely through thepipe a to either of the branches 0 or O, pipe A, branch 0 or O, and to the tank in the cellar. arrived in the branch B the gates 5, 6, 7, and 8 can be shifted by one movement of the lever D and the current of water will be diverted As soon as all the packages have through the branch B". At the same time communication will be opened between the pipe b and branch 13 and the packages will float out into the tank G, into which the pipe 12 opens. The operation will be the same in sending packages from the depot to the post-office.

While I have described my invention as being in operation between a post-office and a depot for the purpose of carrying mail-matter, it is obvious thatit can be applied equally well between any points at a distance from each other and for carrying packages containing other articles or matter.

Having described my invention, I claim- 1. The combination, with the main pipe and its branches, of a series of gate-valves hinged at the apeXes or points formed by the junction of the branches with the main pipe,said valves having crankarms outside of the pipes, a bar to which all of said crank-arms are attached, and a lever connected to said bar, whereby the gate valves are operated simultaneously in either direction, substantially as specified.

2. The combination, with the main pipe and its branches, of short projecting pipes and tanks, into which said projecting pipes open, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. The combination, with the branch pipe and the gate-valve therein, of a bar hinged to said gate-valve to fold in one direction only, and adapted to lie against the pipe when the valve is in one position and to be swung across the pipe by the resistance offered by the water when the valve is turned to another position, for the purpose specified. 7 V i 4. The combination,with the main pipe having an opening, of a bell and register attached to the pipe near the opening, a spring-catch extending through said opening, and ahammer and lever attached to said catch, whereby the bell and register are operated when the catch is struck by a passing carrier, substantially as specified.

JOHN E. ROBINSON. [L.

Witnesses:

E. Cause, 0. B. THOMPSON. 

